Water maintenance and trouble shooting
WATER QUALITY MAINTENANCE ''' Maintaining the quality of the water within the specified limits will serve to enhance your enjoyment and prolong the life of the hot tub’s equipment. It is a fairly simple task, but it requires regular attention because the water chemistry involved is a balance of several factors. There is no simple formula, and there is no avoiding it. A careless attitude in regards to water maintenance will result in poor and potentially harmful conditions for soaking and even damage to your hot tub investment. The most important thing to keep in mind is that '''preventing poor water chemistry is much easier than correcting poor water chemistry. For specific guidance on maintaining water quality, consult your Authorized Coast Spas Dealer who can recommend appropriate chemical products for sanitizing and maintaining your hot tub. MAINTAINING HEALTHY SPA WATER ''' Always maintain your hot tub’s water chemistry within the following parameters: '''pH: '''pH is a measure of relative acidity or alkalinity of water and is measured on a scale of 0 to 14. The midpoint of 7 is said to be neutral, above which is alkaline and below which is acidic. In hot tub water, it is very important to maintain a slightly alkaline condition of 7.2 to 7.8. Problems become proportionately severe the further outside of this range the water gets. A low pH will be corrosive to metals in the hot tub equipment. A high pH will cause minerals to deposit on the interior surface (scaling). In addition, the ability of the sanitation agents to keep the hot tub clean is severely affected as the pH moves beyond the ideal range. That is why almost all hot tub water test kits contain a measure for pH as well as sanitizer. '''Sanitizer (Chlorine or Bromine): '''To destroy bacteria and organic compounds in the hot tub water by breaking them down into non-harmful levels which get filtered out. A sanitizer must be used regularly, either chlorine or bromine. Sanitizing your spa water is the most important spa maintenance you can do for yourself. '''Total Alkalinity: '''This refers to the ability of the hot tub water to resist changes in pH. Controlling alkalinity can help keep your pH in the appropriate range thereby lessening the need for pH balancing. If the TA is too low the pH level will fluctuate rapidly from high to low. If the TA is too high the pH will tend to be too high and will be very difficult to bring back down. '''Calcium Hardness: '''This is a measurement of dissolved calcium in the water. Calcium will help control the corrosive nature of the spa’s water. '''WARNING: 'Never store chemicals inside the equipment area of your spa.' IMPORTANT: 'Do not use Hydrogen Peroxide based sanitizers in your spa. When using Trichlor chlorine or Bromine tablets you must use a floating dispenser. These chemicals can have an extremely corrosive effect on certain materials in the spa. Damage caused by use of these chemicals, or improper use of any chemicals, is not covered under the spa’s warranty. '''OTHER ADDITIVES ' Many other additives are available for your spa. Some are necessary to compensate for out-of-balance water, some aid in cosmetic water treatment and others simply alter the feel or smell of the water. Your Authorized Coast Spas Dealer can advise you on the use of these additives. '''WATER CLARITY TROUBLESHOOTING